Ghosts of July (Shamans of the Divide, Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-seven

It didn't take long for me to find the fire escape once we started moving. I wondered why we hadn't searched earlier.

"I swear we looked every up here when that thing had us pinned. There wasn't a door anywhere."

Renn pushed against the door with his shoulder a couple times and it started to give. One final shove and it was open. He hesitated.

"What?" I whispered.

"I'm not sure it's going to hold us," he said, looking back at me.

"Then go," I said, pushing him. "I'll wait until you're down and then I'll go."

Renn didn't even consider the idea.

"You first," he said. "I'm more likely to break it with my weight. At least you'd be down already if something happened to me."

I hesitated for a moment and then took a tentative step on to the wooden structure. We were a good fifteen feet up, but I didn't allow myself too much time to worry. I'd seen and heard too much tonight to let a rickety fire escape keep me from getting out of this awful building.

The thing swayed when I put my weight away from the building on the left banister.

"Other side," he whispered above me and I complied.

Moving as fast as I could with one bum foot, it wasn't long before I was on solid ground.

"Go," I whispered back up to him.

As Renn made his way down, I watched in terror as the structure jiggled and looked ready to buckle into a pile of timber. I held my breath until he finally jumped from about six steps up.

"Dramatic much?" I said and helped him to his feet.

I looked around and was a little surprised to see Coyote and the others were nowhere to be found.

"They're gone," I said but saw that Skye's explorer was still there.

"What's your plan?"

"We need to go back to the Stones," I said and Renn started to protest. I stopped him. "I know it didn't work and I'm pretty sure whatever you guys tried made it worse, but I know what we need to do. We need to bind it in the water of Dull Blade."

Renn looked at his feet, probably thinking about what I said and how I could possibly know any of it.

"How would we bind them in the water?"

Who was the newcomer here? This wasn't even my heritage and I was pretty sure I knew more about Dull Blade and water wards after just twenty minutes in the car with Skye than Renn seemed to know entirely.

"A ward," I said. "You say one, they stay in. It's that simple."

He took a deep breath and ran his hand through is hair. I knew he was going to say no.

"I need to take you home," he finally said. "This is insane and you're already hurt."

At that point, I was pretty certain I wanted to punch Renn in the gut.

"And you're alone and you don't even know about water warding, so you need me. And the day I need you to make decisions for me, I'll be sure to let you know."

He shook his head and it was all I could do from losing my temper.

"Fine, take me home, Renn. Please," I said. "And the second your dumb ass turns around to leave, I'm getting in my car and I'm finishing this by myself if I have to."

I turned around like I was actually going to walk home and I prayed with all my might that Renn didn't call my bluff. I got a few feet away.

"Fine," he said.